Government's plan to re-introduce 3 Bills in Lok Sabha faces Rajya Sabha hurdle - Times of India

NEW DELHI: The government failed to withdraw three key legislations, including those related to increasing FDI cap in insurance sector to 49% and coal mines (special provision) bill, on which it has brought ordinances as a united opposition in Rajya Sabha strongly resisted the move.

The bills were expected to be introduced in Lok Sabha where the government enjoys a comfortable majority. The government hoped that passage in Lok Sabha would make the process of replacing the ordinances easier as it could call a joint sitting if faced with the Rajya Sabha hurdle again.

The government had listed Insurance Laws (Amendment) Bill 2008, Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Bill 2014, and Coal Mines (Special Provisions) Bill 2014 for withdrawal from the Upper House.

However, opposition members forced the government to defer the motion. Congress, Trinamool Congress, CPM, CPI, Samajwadi Party and BSP got together, questioning the intent of the government and insisting on a debate on the motion for withdrawal.

"The three bills they want to withdraw are now property of the House. How can they withdraw it without debate? I request it should not be withdrawn or it will be difficult with us to permit withdrawal," said Leader of Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad.

He was supported by CPM member Sitaram Yechury (CPI) and TMC's Derek O'Brien.

Yechury questioned the intention of the government and demanded that the bills be debated first. "If the bills were to be withdrawn, why did you bring in an ordinance. Such withdrawal is against the propriety of the House," he said.

Finance minister and Leader of the House Arun Jaitley forcefully defended the move, saying the withdrawal had become necessary as for all the three bills, ordinances had been promulgated and the bill substituting the ordinances had to be introduced.

"When there is a valid law in existence, that law has to be introduced in one house, in this case the Lok Sabha, and a bill substituting the ordinance has to be simultaneously introduced. The earlier bill has become infructuous following the promulgation of the ordinance," Jaitley said referring to the three bills, on which government has already brought ordinances.

He said, "Constitution has conferred certain amount of constitutional wisdom to this House, and one of the wisdom is that this House does not deal with infructuous piece of legislation."

"If members, because of the reality of legislative numbers, want an infructuous piece of legislation to occupy the calender and space of this house I have no difficulty," he said.

"Once the other bill becomes a law, the infructuous bill that you say is property of the house can be gifted to each one of you," the finance minister said taking a dig at the opposition.

However, as the opposition remained firm, Jaitley suggested deferring the motion sensing the mood of the House.

http://ift.tt/1kYhnbh Sabha,Lok Sabha,FDI

Stay updated on the go with Times of India News App. Click here to download it for your device.

This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service - if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at http://ift.tt/jcXqJW.

from Top Stories - Google News http://ift.tt/1JJpNWF

via IFTTT